'They are out of control:' Resident tells Orrville council feral cats present a nuisance

Shams Mustafa
·3 min read

ORRVILLE — A city resident urged council Monday evening to come up with a new ordinance to control a feral cats problem.

Rebekah Marshall shared her concerns about feral cats in her neighborhood.

“It’s been over a year now we have been dealing with the situation by putting up fences and utilizing chicken wire around stairs and porches, nothing seems to be helping them to go away,” Marshall said.

She passed out pictures of feral cats seen in her neighborhood, saying they had three litters in only two months and the numbers are increasing.

The major concerns with feral cats are spreading diseases and aggressive behavior toward people.

"They are out of control and they are potentially biting children, I’ve been bitten before,” Marshall said.

Safety and Service Director Steve Wheeler said the city has a program agreement with the Wayne County Humane Society to accept feral cats from Orrville citizens.

Orrville City Council discuss feral cats after hearing resident’s complain about them during Monday’s meeting.
Orrville City Council discuss feral cats after hearing resident’s complain about them during Monday’s meeting.

Humane Society has a capacity issue

The procedure requires residents to catch and trap the cats, and then transfer them to the Humane Society.

However, the Humane Society has a capacity issue due to the increased number of feral cats its receives from Wooster.

Marshall added it is uncomfortable for residents trap and transfer the feral cats themselves.

“I wasn’t prepared or comfortable to transfer a feral cat in my car as they have flees, other diseases and I don’t want to expose myself or my grandchildren to this,” she said.

Council members agreed it has been a continuous problem that couldn’t be solved with traditional solutions like the, “catch and release,” which is used by the Humane Society where they catch feral cats, spay or neuter them, then release them again.

Councilman Darrell Mosley II suggested consulting other organizations such as Catify Cafe and Adoptions.

Mayor Dave Handwerk said feral cats are hard to be adopted as pets once they grow old, unlike dogs. He suggests that citizens should refrain from feeding the cats.

“As long as people keep feeding them and putting food out it's going to continue,” Handwerk said.

Other actions:

  • Councilman Mosley announced the plan for the 2024 streets project that will repair Bell Avenue, McGill Street and Washington Boulevard. The cost of the project is $1.1 million which includes funds from the Ohio Public Works Commission.

  • Council approved the purchase of a Pierce 100-foot Tower Ladder Truck with an enforcer cab and aluminum body. The truck is considered the largest purchase for the Fire Department and will replace the 23-year-old 80-foot tower ladder truck. The estimated price is about $2.2 million and expected to be delivered by 2027.

  • Handwerk honored Orrville Utility workers by reading a proclamation and announcing the week of October 1 to 7 as Public Power Week.

  • Wheeler noted the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Communication Commission will conduct a national test of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System. On Wednesday, Oct. 4, Television, radios, and cell phones will receive a message between 2:20 p.m. and 2:50 p.m. The message will state, “This is a test of the national wireless emergency alert system, no action is needed, this is only a test.”

The next meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 16, at City Hall.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Orrville City Council needs to deal with feral cat problem